


The Way The Cookie Crumbles.

by maddiebug



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: AU, AdriNoire, Adrinette, Aged Up, Cookies, F/M, IDENTITY SHENANIGANS, Identity Reveal, Kwami Swap, Marinette is a Fashion Designer, Pre Relationship, Reverse Crush (Miraculous Ladybug), adrien still models, early 20s, kwami loss, pre reveal, will edit tags after i post
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:42:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 12,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27363703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maddiebug/pseuds/maddiebug
Summary: When Marinette Dupain-Cheng gets hired at Agreste fashions, she doesn't expect to actually get to know Adrien Agreste (who she's definitely not falling for) or model her own designs(she's never modeled before), or lose Tikki(that was entirely not her fault), but apparently that was just the way the cookie crumbled.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 72
Kudos: 97





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I've decided to write a long fic for november, which is national novel writing month. I don't think it'll be 50,000 words, but my goal is somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000. I already have 5,000 words written, so we will just have to see where it goes from here. I think I will post a chapter every day with minimal editing, and in December I will go through and edit this like hell. so far I have four chapters written out, but I'm going to try to post daily to keep myself accountable.

When Marinette Dupain-Cheng got the email that confirmed that she had been hired to work as a junior designer at Gabriel, the biggest fashion house in Paris, she had been ecstatic. 

She had done very well at ESMOD, and even though she hadn't been top of her class, she was awarded "most creative" and had great recommendations from all of her professors. She would've gotten top of her class, if it hadn't been for the akuma attacks. 

Because, Marinette had a secret. 

While she worked her hardest as a full-time college student, working part-time at her parents bakery while interning with different fashion houses, she had a different job on the side.

It was charity work. She would call it a volunteer experience, but that made it sound like she had a choice in the matter. A more accurate description would have been mandatory spontaneous community service.

Okay, fine. Marinette was the superhero Ladybug, but that wasn't exactly something she could put on a resume. Her parents had always been pretty lenient with her hours, and she usually pretended to get caught in traffic during Akuma attacks. It had worked so far, but she was worried that it wouldn't work at a professional job.

She had almost had to retake several years of school, due to a multitude of absences, but was able to get straight A's anyways, and her teachers had let it slide.

As she prepared for her first day of work, she wasn't so sure that Agreste would let it slide.

"Oh Tikki," Marinette frowned, packing herself a lunch for the first day on the job, "what will I do if there's an Akuma attack? I can't exactly run out of work to fight it."

"If there's an akuma you have to fight it." Tikki responded. "There's no other option."

"I just don't want to be fired. I know Gabriel Agreste does not tolerate late employees."

"I'm sure it'll all be fine." Tikki winked. "You've got that Ladybug Luck, remember?"

"I know, but what if it's not?" Marinette's mind started racing. "What if there's an akuma right now and it takes all morning to fight. I could completely miss work and get fired before I even start. Gabriel Ahreste will hate me and i'll be blacklisted from the fashion industry-"

"That seems a little extreme.."

"-I'll never get a dream job again and I will have to work at the bakery forever."

"Snap out of it Marinette." Tikki smiled. "It'll be fine. Worst case scenario, you open a boutique online. People love your designs."

"But-"

"But nothing." Tikki nodded. "You have clients, like Jagged, Kitty Section, and Kagami. Even if your job with Gabriel doesn't work out, you have backup options."

"You think I'm going to get fired?"

"Probably not today." Tikki muttered under her breath.

Marinette blinked. "What do I do if I get fired?"

"We can cross that bridge when we get to it." Tikki smiled, "For now, look at the bright side. You got the job!"

"Yeah," Marionette grinned, "I did. You're right Tikki, this is a cause for celebration, not panic."

"If everything goes wrong, then it goes wrong," Tikki shrugged, "Thats just the way the cookie crumbles."

"You're pretty smart, you know that?"

"I am the goddess of creation, older than the universe itself, so yeah, I'm aware. Thanks though Marinette."

"You're welcome." Marinette grabbed a little box of macarons. "I'm putting these in my purse for you. You can have one for lunch, but the rest are for emergencies only, got it?"

"What qualifies as an emergency?"

"An Akuma attack." Marinette sighed, ignoring Tikki's puppydog eyes. She would have to try harder than that to get what she wanted. "Now that I'm not working at the bakery, I can't get you cookies every day."

"I mean you could-"

"I'm not going to bother my parents every day. I agreed to help them out on the weekends, so we will be able to stock up on cookies then."

"I can't believe you're putting me on a diet. Plagg's holder has never put him on a diet."

"Chat Noir?" Marinette shook her head. "How does he get enough cookies to feed his kwami?"

"Oh, he doesn't. Plagg only eats camembert cheese."

Marinette gagged a little bit. "Gross. Where does Chat get all the cheese?"

"Why do you expect me to know?" Tikki crosse her arms, "I just know Plagg has and entire fridge full of cheese."

"I'm not giving you a fridge full of cookie dough."

"You could."

"I can't. How does Chat Noir afford that much cheese? Isn't Camembert expensive?"

"Money has no value to me." 

"What?"

"Plagg has his own Amazon Prime account."

"How?"

"I'm pretty sure he commits credit card fraud."

"Yeah, we are not going to do that." Marinette frowned. "I think I can manage to get enough cookies from my parents without breaking the law."

"Plagg just orders it online and it's delivered right to Chat's doorstep."

"You can buy cheese online? How expensive is it?"

"Apparently. I don't know, like I said, money means nothing to me."

"Right-" Marinette pulled out her phone. "Yikes! That's expensive. Chat's parents would have to be cheese farmers or something."

"....or something." Tikki repeated nonchalantly.

"I could never afford that much cheese."

"Yeah, that's why I chose you, instead of Plagg."

"What?"

"Originally, Plagg was going to choose you, and I was going go choose A-" a big bubble burst out of Tikki's mouth- "Chat Noir. Due to circumstance, we decided it was best if I was your kwami and Plagg was Chat's."

"Because I lived in a bakery?"

"Well-"

Marinette laughed, "All this time, I thought I was special, but you chose me because I lived in a bakery?"

"You had a good heart." Tikki insisted. "You passed the tests."

"I had a box of macarons."

"Yeah, that might've helped."

Marinette rolled her eyes fondly. "I'm not going to forget this Tikki. Next time I see Chat Noir, I'm going to have a serious talk with him about affording Camembert."

"I'm sure it's fine."

"Seriously, if he has a whole fridge of that stuff, he must be a cheese farmer. Or rich. Or in terrible financial ruin and he's struggling so much that he and Plagg are resorting to credit card scams and they really need my help and -"

"Marinette. Deep breaths. It'll all be fine."

"Right. Right." Marinette glanced at the clock. "Oh would you look at the time?"

"8:45?" Tikki read.

"Its an expression." Marinette scooped the kwami into her purse before sprinting out the door. "I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be a good look to be late on the first day of my job."

Tikki, who sat in the purse, chowing down on the cookies she had promised not to eat, silently agreed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Ik it's a little rough there was zero editing.  
> My goal is to create a longer plot, rather than just a oneshot like I usually write. I know the tags said kwami swap and adrinoire, and I promise that will happen eventually, but despite being my inspiration it is not the main part of this fic. There Will be a lot of adrienette and probably some ladynoir. And obviously, Lady Noire.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This doesn't matter to you but it matters to me I got Trixx and Fluff mixed up because trix are for kids.

Thanks to a combination of Tikki's luck, Marinette's ability to sprint and sheer willpower, Marinette walked into the building one minute before she was supposed to. 

She breathed a sigh of relief, thanking whatever kwami was the Kwami of speedy travel. (Probably Fluff or Kaalki). If Marinette had less willpower (and hadn't handed out miraculous to nearly every one of her classmates, leaving none in the miracle box), she would've simply used magic to get to work on time.

But Marinette didn't use magic for her own purposes, she only used it to save Paris.

She walked up to the front desk and introduced herself to the Secretary. "Hi, I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng and-"

"You're Marinette?" The Secretary raised an eyebrow. "You're shorter than I thought you'd be."

"I'm sorry?" Marinette tried not to take offense, knowing that she was significantly shorter than any of the models for Gabriel. The comment was meant as an observation, not an insult. 

She held out a hand. "I'm Jeanne, I've heard a lot about you."

"You have?" Marinette blinked. She was used to getting recognized as Ladybug, but this was new.

"Of course. You've been Jagged Stone's official designer for the last five years. I'm a huge Jagged fan."

"Glad to hear it." Marinette smiled, shaking her hand. 

"I'd kill for a pair of those Eiffel Tower sunglasses."

"Really?"

"Well, no, but I think you're cool."

"Wait a minute-" Marinette dug through her purse, purposefully avoiding Tikki. She took note of the suspicious amount of crumbs that gathered near the bottom of her purse, before finding the item she was looking for. "I actually have a pair with me right now."

"Really?"

"Yeah." She handed them to Jeanne. "Try them on."

"No way." Jeanne slowly out them over her eyes. "These are so cool."

"Those were a prototype, so they're a little flimsy, but if you want them."

"Of course I want them. Marinette you're amazing."

"They're just sunglasses." She blushed. "And I have another five prototypes of the same ones at home."

"Anyways, Nathalie will be down in a few minutes to show you around. You can sit here and wait, or if you have any questions, I'm right here."

"I actually do have a few questions."

"Shoot." Jeanne fired some finger guns at her.

"What's the late policy at Gabriel? With regards to Akuma attacks, I mean. I live across town and I'm worried about the traffic."

"On, its very flexible. Gabriel usually cancels work for the rest of the day if there is an attack."

"Really? That seems generous."

"Its more for his own safety than ours, but I'll take what I can get. Any other questions?"

Marinette felt like she was making she first work friend, "yeah-"

"Ms. Dupain-Cheng?" 

Jeanne automatically sat up straighter. "That's Nathalie. If you have any further questions, you can direct them towards her."

"Thanks," Marinette smiled, "I'll talk to you later."

"Bye." Jeanne gave her a little wave, as Marinette followed Nathalie through the hallways, into a room full of people, desks, fabric, sewing machines, and computers.

This, Marinette realized, was where the magic happened. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was SHORT so I will be posting chapter three in the next five minutes


	3. Chapter 3

After a series of introductions, a tour and getting her own desk, Marinette had her first task in the job. 

It wasn't what she had hoped. Her boss, Anna, assured her it was very important, but Marinette wanted to offer input on a design. Perhaps submit some of her own to be considered for a new line.

She didn't even have a chance to design.

She was supposed to go get coffee. 

Because apparently, she was only slightly higher than an intern. 

It wasn't exactly the glamorous job she had dreamt about, but it was a step in the right direction. She was even working in the department she wanted to, she just needed to work hard and eventually get promoted.

And she would do that, by balancing 12 different coffee orders for people who's names she had not yet memorized.

Hopefully.

Marinette wasn't exactly known for being graceful. 

She joined the morning rush at the coffeeshop, all of the orders written in the notes app on her phone. 

After apologizing to the barista, she ordered everything on the list, plus a hot chocolate to cool her nerves. 

She was given two drink trays to balance as she walked back to the Agreste building. 

It was barely a block away, but Marinette wasn't confident that she would make it without any accidents. 

As she left the coffeeshop, she thanked Tikki that she had chosen to wear flats and not heels. Her task would have gone from unlikely to impossible had she been stumbling around like a fool.

As it was, Marinette made it back to the Agreste building without incident. 

The automatic doors slid open for her and Jeanne pressed the button to open the elevator, allowing Marinette to step inside without dropping any of the drinks.

Really, it was a miracle she had made it this far. 

She walked into the design department, where some models were being fitted and-

Immediately was surrounded.

Everyone walked up to retrieve their drinks. She passed a iced latte to the left, an expresso to the right. 

She called out the coffee orders like they were names, and they were passed out in an smooth and orderly manner. 

Her boss even complimented her on the efficiency.

Huh. Maybe working in the bakery had been good for her. Icing the cakes had steadied her hands, the same motions used for sketching, braiding bread like fabric, calling out pastries like coffee orders. It was familiar and unknown all at once. 

It was only once Marinette had nothing but the hot chocolate in her arms that she relaxed. 

For once, she didn't live up to the childhood nickname of "Clumsinette." She balanced a dozen drinks, and didn't spill any of them. It was practically a miracle. 

(The kwami in her purse certainly didn't hurt though)

Once everyone had gotten their caffeine, Marinette set her purse down at her desk, and took in her surroundings. She was working at the biggest fashion empire in Paris. She sat for a moment, admiring the workspace, with it's creative minds and free-form mannequins, dressed in every style imaginable. 

She could only daydream for so long though.

After only a couple minutes, she got up to ask her boss what tasks she should work on. If there was a current project that needed additional hands, or a new project, Marinette was more than willing to help. 

Unfortunately for her, she left her purse at the desk.

It could've been her own clumsiness, or a sudden bout of bad luck, but despite her earlier success against gravity, Marinette once again found herself engaged in a battle. 

She tripped over a coworker's bag, frantically grabbing at thin air as she went down. Marinette's efforts were futile, not even Ladybug could resist the pull of gravity, but she did not land on the ground, as she had feared. 

Instead, Marinette opened her eyes to see a gorgeous man, one who quite possibly could have been an Angel. His blonde hair sparkled under the indoor lighting, and his eyes were a rich emerald green. She stared into those eyes for entirely too long, getting lost in their depths. 

Those eyes reminded her of Chat Noir in a way. The vibrancy of his irises were unmatched. The eyes staring down at her lacked the neon sclera that her partner possessed, but there was a certain intensity behind that gaze that was altogether familiar and unknown.

"I'm falling for you."

He laughed, and it sent a spark of electricity down her spine. "If it makes you feel better, with that sense of humor, I definitely just fell for you."

She smiled at him. "Am I dreaming?" 

He pulled a face. "Most of my dreams don't involve getting hot chocolate spilled on me."


	4. Chapter 4

"I'm falling for you."

He laughed, and it sent a spark of electricity down her spine. "If it makes you feel better, with that sense of humor, I definitely just fell for you."

She smiled at him. "Am I dreaming?" 

He pulled a face. "Most of my dreams don't involve getting hot chocolate spilled on me."

He helped her stand up, and Marinette was jolted back to reality. "On my God, I'm so sorry."

"Nice to meet you, sorry," he chuckled, "I'm Adrien."

So he had a sense of humor. Good to know. 

At least he wasn't angry with her. 

"Marinette." She shook her head, knowing her face was redder than the supersuit she wore at night. 

"Nice to meet you, Marinette. Next time, watch where you're going." Adrien's voice had a teasing lilt to it. He wasn't mad. At all. 

Quite the opposite in fact. 

He seemed to be enjoying this.

Marinette smiled, still making intense eye contact, before surveying the damage.

After she looked him up and down, Adrien had the audacity to wink at her. _wink._ Did he not understand the gravity of the situation?

His white shirt had a massive stain in the middle. It was unintentional, and almost certainly impossible to wash out. That short probably cost more than Marinette had in her bank account.

Her face fell immediately. "I'm going to get fired."

"What?"

She started hyperventilating. "I ruined that shirt. I ruined your white shirt and you're a model and this is my dream job and I've only worked here for like three hours and-" 

Adrien placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder, relaxing her, grounding her. "You aren't going to get fired. Trust me."

"I ruined your shirt."

He winced, "You have no idea how many shirts I've ruined. This was my fault, really."

"It wasn't your fault."

"I chose to catch you. I could've just let you fall. Really, I wasn't thinking about the shirt."

"I can't just let you take the fall for me."

"It'll be fine." Adrien held her hand, squeezing it like Chat Noir did. "I've worked here for quite some time. Neither one of us is going to get fired today."

Marinette wasn't so sure about that.

Neither was her boss, who appeared out of no where, frowning at the state of Adrien's shirt. 

"This simply won't do." Anna waved a hand at Adrien's shirt. "You've made a mess."

Marinette's hands were shaking, as she admitted the truth. "I'm sorry, I-"

"I ran into Marinette," Adrien lied smoothly, "quite literally, and bumped her elbow, causing her to spill her drink. It was entirely my fault."

Her boss just sighed, as if this was a regular occurrence. "Adrien, please watch what you're doing."

"I'll try to." Adrien smirked, with the confidence of a man who couldn't get fired.

Marinette wanted to know his secret, but was too afraid to ask. Adrien couldn't have been much older than she was, and yet he had no fear. 

It was astounding. 

And foolish. 

Anna just shook her head. "Marinette, right?"

"That's me."

"Help Adrien find a shirt. White. Button down. No patterns. He can show you the warehouse."

"I can do that." Marinette flashed a thumbs up.

Anna turned to Adrien. "I assume we don't want Nathalie to know about this?"

"Preferably." He frowned. "I don't need her telling him about how much of a disappointment I am."

There were clearly some underlying issues that Adrien needed to address, but it was done of Marinette's business. 

Anna didn't address it either. "I'll cover for you. Go with Marinette, and hurry."

"Thank you." Adrien smiled. "You're the best Anna."

"I know." Marinette's boss shook her head. "And you know the rules."

"Do I?" Adrien smirked.

"No making out in storage closets."

"No promises."

Marinette wondered if that was a common problem with Adrien.

Probably not. 

It seemed like a sort of inside joke though, so it had to have happened at least once. 

Silently, Marinette followed Adrien into the biggest closet she had ever seen. 

Clothing of every shape and color lined the walls, hanging from racks. She could see shelves of hats and accessories off to the side. 

If Marinette wasn't so worried about her Jon, she could've spent hours exploring the contents of the office without ever getting bored.

"What size are you?" Marinette asked, as she began to sift through the racks of clothing, blatantly avoiding looking at the shirtless model behind her.

Adrien told her his measurements. He had them memorized, apparently. "What, no thank you?"

"Thank you for saving my job." She pulled a shirt out, only to realize that it was more of a cream than white, "I appreciate it, but I don't like lying."

"You know, I've always thought, that, as long as it's for a good reason, a little lie doesn't hurt anyone."

Marinette frowned, as her next selection had too much of a blue tone. "You sound like the girl that used to bully me in middle school."

Adrien laughed. "That was definitely not the vibe I was going for."

"Really?" She tossed a shirt at him. "What were you going for?"

"Something... sexy."

"I'm trying to save my job here."

"We could make out and no one has to know?"

Marinette rolled her eyes. "What part of 'i want to keep this job' don't you understand exactly?"

"The part where us kissing gets you fired?" He raised an eyebrow. 

"No co-worker relationships." She folded her arms. "I've read the rule book. Put your shirt on, pretty boy."

"You think I'm pretty?"

"You're a model. We both know that you're pretty."

"Not as pretty as you."

Marinette couldn't completely hide the blush that crept up her face. "Shirt."

"When we met, you said that you were falling for me." He smiled. "It was so cute that I fell for you."

"I panicked and mixed up my words. I meant to apologize for falling on you."

"There's nothing to apologize for."

Marinette sighed. "You aren't going to let this go, are you?"

"I think it'll make a great story when we get married."

"Right." She shook her head. "How about you work on putting that shirt on. And maybe we should become friends before we think about marriage."

He slipped the shirt on, buttoning it up slowly, "I've been told that my flirting needs some work."

Marinette chuckled. How had she compared him to Chat Noir? He was nowhere as smooth. He didn't quite make her heart flutter like her partner. The only thing they had in common was an inexplicable chaotic energy. "Whoever told you that was right."

"Ouch." Adrien brought a hand to his chest. "You wound me."

She rolled her eyes. "That shirt should work. Lets get you back to modelling."

"What?"

"You're a model? Aren't you?" Marinette felt her face go red.

"Yeah, I'm Adrien."

Was that supposed to mean something to her? 

"I'm Marinette?" She responded blankly.

Adrien noticed her visible confusion and explained, "I'm a model, yes, but I was actually in the design department to discuss a new line with Anna."

"You're involved in creating a new line? I thought models usually stuck to... modeling."

"I'm completely in charge of this project." Adrien shrugged. "I've been trying to understand more of the company. I got degree in business and graphic design, I might as well put it to use."

Damn. 

He wasn't just a model. He was smart too.

Marinette really messed up.

She didn't just spill hot chocolate on the hottest guy at her office.

She spilled hot chocolate on someone that could definitely get her fired. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter. Part 3 of perfume boi will be posted tomorrow

Once Adrien put a clean shirt on, he and Marinette walked back to the design department.

There was no kissing involved, despite how much both parties wanted to. 

Making out in a closet at work would've been fun and dangerous, but Marinette didn't want to take any risks at this job. It was hard enough to keep a job as Ladybug. 

Marinette had some questions for her boss, and Adrien had a very important meeting to get to. 

It was unfortunate that those two things conflicted. 

Adrien's very importance meeting just happened to be with Nathalie and Anna, and so Marinette had to go back to her desk and wait until Anna was not busy. 

Marinette had not been given any additional tasks, so she took out her sketchbook and did what she did best: ~~take down akuma in wacky creative ways with whatever the lucky charm decided to drop on her~~ design. 

She usually avoided making anything hero themed, but Adrien had sparked something in her. (Not like that. Get your mind out of the gutter). He was her muse, an inspiration.

He would look great in a black suit, black tie, with green accents to brink out the color in his eyes. 

The weird thing was, even though Marinette was thinking about Adrien, when she had finished the sketch, it didn't look like him at all. It looked like Chat Noir. 

She had unconsciously created formalwear for her partner. Again.

The first time it had happened, she bad been thinking about the future. 

Marinette loved Chat Noir, more than anything. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, to marry him and grow old together.

He saw her as a best friend. 

And it hurt a little bit, but no matter what, they were friends. No matter what, they were partners.

Marinette had once channeled her frustration into a Chat Noir themed wedding dress. (If anyone could pull it off, Chat could). 

She wasn't sure if she liked Adrien, or if she liked that he reminded her of Chat Noir. Her heart was in knots, confused and tangled. She didn't want to waste her breath on someone who would never feel the same, but she barely knew Adrien.

Spilling hot chocolate and falling into someone's arms is not a solid foundation for a relationship. 

There was so much she didn't know about Adrien, like his favorite music, favorite color, favorite food or even his coffee order. She barely knee him, he was a mystery.

Maybe that was what interested her so much.

After all, she didn't know those things about Chat Noir either. His personal life was entirely a mystery. At one point he had a girlfriend, but Marinette did not know if they had broken up or gotten married.

Personal lives didn't matter, because they didn't affect the partnership. It was a sacrifice, to not be able to tell your best friend everything, but one that Marinette and Chat had to make. It was not only for the sake of their identities, but for the sake of Paris.

No one could find out who they were.

Not even each other. 

Marinette looked at her notebook, where she had been absentmindedly sketching.

Weird. 

She didn't remember designing Chat Noir overalls, but between the bell and paw prints, that was definitely what she did.

She needed to snap out of it. 

She was madly in love with Chat Noir, but usually she didn't spend every moment thinking about him. 

Adrien had just sparked something. He made her heart beat a little faster, when he walked in a room, her eyes went straight to him. His charismatic energy reminded her of Chat Noir, as did his selflessness. 

He could've gotten her fired, for ruining a shirt, but instead, he took the blame. He sacrificed himself for her, just like Chat.particularly"

He seemed nice enough, if a bit flirty. Adrien wasn't pushy, and had genuinely backed off when she asked him to. 

As Marinette was contemplating her feelings for Adrien (not that she felt things for him, he was just nice), Nathalie left the meeting room.

A few minutes later, so did Adrien. He was smiling, which wasn't what one would usually expect from a serious meeting. He looked proud, almost satisfied. 

When it felt like an appropriate amount of time had passed, Marinette got up from her desk, to talk to Anna. 

Before she could, Anna found her.

"Marinette, we need to talk."

Nothing about those words sounded good. 

Marinette really didn't want to get fired on her first day. 

She took a deep breath, and followed Anna back into the office.

The older woman frowned. "I think it's probably best if you close the door."

Marinette nodded, closing the door before she sat down. 

There was only one way this could go. 

"I'm sorry-"

Before Marionette could finish her apology, Anna cut her off. "I'm taking you off coffee duty." 

Oh.

Well, that was a weird way to fire someone.


	6. Chapter 6

"I'm so sorry." Marinette took a deep breath, trying to hold back tears. "I just am not the best at balancing things and it was all new and overwhelming and-"

"The coffee was fine, that's not why I'm saying this."

"Oh? Is it about the shirt? I really am sorry. I can make a new one, just give me a few days-"

Anna waved a hand. "Don't sweat it. There are a dozen shirts exactly like that one in the vault. You would not believe how often Adrien ruins shirts."

Oh, so it wasn't about the shirt.

"Did I say something to offend him? Oh no, I knew I should've been quiet."

"He called you cute. I'm pretty sure he's not mad about it."

"Oh.."

"So, like I said, I'm taking you off coffee duty-

Marinette nodded. "I understand. I can pack my things and go."

Anna laughed. "What?"

She swallowed back a sob. "Thank you for the opportunity."

"You aren't getting fired, you're getting promoted."

Marinette blinked back tears. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You were hired based on your portfolio, not based on your ability to fetch coffee. You had a diverse, creative portfolio that was exactly what we were looking for."

"I'll be a designer?"

"You'll be switching offices, for the duration of the project." Anna explained. "And not just a designer, you'll be in charge of this project... with your partner, of course."

"My partner?" Marinette frowned. Surely she couldn't mean....

"After speaking with you this morning, Adrien insisted. You have full creative control over his line."

Oh. She meant Adrien. Not Chat. 

"This sounds ... great." It honestly sounded a little bit too good to be true. Marinette had full creative control over a fashion line. There had to be a catch. Marinette couldn't be that lucky. 

"You really impressed him this morning."

"I did?" She spilled coffee on him, flirted badly and then panicked about losing her job. Either he had very low standards or was seriously crazy. 

Anna smiled. "We expect great things out of you Marinette. Adrien will show you your new office."

Marinette frowned. Something still didn't seem right. "Adrien can just do that? He can just completely change my job?"

"He's Adrien. That kid is going to take over this business someday."

"He's Gabriel Agreste's protege?" 

Anna snorted. "You could say that. Adrien's got a decent brain, and can handle any side of the business. He just doesn't have a creative bone in his body."

"If he's not creative, why is Gabriel letting him design a line?" It didn't make sense. Why would an uncreative person be a fashion designer. "Why doesn't he stick to modelling?"

Anna shrugged. "Beats me. You can ask him yourself."

"But-"

"Gabriel has given him one month to make this line, and if I were you, I'd get started."

"Its Adrien's line. Why didn't he choose a more experienced designer?"

"He liked your portfolio." 

Well, it didn't make sense to Marinette, but this was a great opportunity. 

She walked out of Anna's office, determined to make the best fashion line she could.

Even if her partner was apparently incapable of doing the job himself.

Really, Adrien seemed nice. He just should stick to modelling. 

Marinette packed up her things, but with Adrien's help, she didn't leave, she just switched desks.

(It seemed weird that she had been given a desk, only to move two hours later, but Marinette wasn't going to question it)


	7. Chapter 7

The job may have been an upgrade, but the new desk was a definite downgrade. 

Marinette was moved to the second desk in Adrien's "office," a space that did nothing to ease her confusion.

Adrien did not have a nice office like Anna, his offices was in a windowless room, next to the maintenance closet. 

He opened the door for her, like a gentleman, and it squeaked like a mouse. 

Surely, Gabriel Agreste's protege would have better working conditions than this. 

He had a computer, which was barely identifiable under all of the papers scattered everywhere. They were vague sketches, wisps of ideas.

One particularly detailed one was a drawing of what appeared to be Chat Noir, kissing Ladybug, who was hanging upside down like Spider-Man.

And Anna had said he wasn't creative.

"I'm sorry, I thought I cleaned up." With a red face, Adrien set down Marinette's box, and pushed all of the random papers onto his own desk. 

"Sorry," he frowned, "I get moved to a different department every month, I'm not in here all that much."

"Really?"

"I spent all of last month in the accounting department." Adrien shoved the papers into a box. "And before that, photography. Between that and modelling, I'm hardly in my office."

Marinette supposed that made sense. If Adrien constantly had to move around, it didn't make sense for him to have a big office. And it was in the center of the building, so he was an equal distance from any given department. 

"This... is an office." Marinette grimaced. 

It wasn't like she had any right to judge. Her desk at home was covered in various fabric swatches and sketches, creative projects, but it was in an order that made sense to her, but at least her desk didn't smell like cheese.

Cheese. Once again, Marinette was reminded of Chat Noir, the absolute love of her life. 

"Uh, Marinette, you okay in there?"

"What?" She shook her head. "Yeah, I'm great." 

Nothing in Adrien's office made sense to her. Nothing about Adrien really made sense either. 

What kind of protege had such a shitty office? What kind of protege couldn't design? Why had she been chosen as his partner? How were they supposed to design and create a line in less than a month?

With hundreds of work related questions swirling through her mind, Marinette focused on what was right in front of her.

She took a step towards the corner of the room. "Is that a mini fridge?"

"Yeah."

"Can I put my lunch in it?" Marinette reached for the handle, and Adrien froze.

There was a strange hissing sound. It probably came from the pipes.

Adrien cleared his throat. "I wouldn't..."

Marinette ignored him, and opened the mini fridge.

That may have been her biggest mistake yet. 

See, here's the thing about mini fridges. They may not hold much, but what they do hold tends to get a certain funky smells. When previously mentioned fridge has smelly cheese, the fridge adopts that smell and multiplies it.

When an entire mini-fridge is full of camembert, one who opens the fridge is hit with a pungent wave of cheese-scented air. 

Marinette was the unfortunate victim of this violent attack on her nostrils. From the scent alone, she felt a little woozy. If smells could burn, this one did. Her eyes were watering and she felt her vision go blurry.

Adrien stood in the opposite corner of the room, holding his breath.

As quickly as she could, Marinette slammed the door of the fridge. 

It took her a moment to regain her breath. "We are never opening that fridge again."

Adrien gave her a thumbs up. 

He was still holding his breath. Luckily, Marinette's lunch box had insulation, to keep her food cold. She didn't need a fridge, although it would've been nice. 

Hesitantly, she explored the rest of the room, checking to see if the drawers at her desk were empty. 

Luckily, they were.

After Adrien started breathing again, he apologized. "I'm sorry about the cheese. Its my... guilty pleasure snack."

Marinette shrugged. "No judgement here."

"I should've warned you."

"As long as you let me know of anything else is filled with cheese."

"Bottom drawer on the left."

Marinette frowned and poked at said drawer with a pencil. "Really?" 

"No." Adrien smiled. "Everything else is cheese free."

"Good." Marinette started organizing her writing utensils by color. "And the microwave? If I open it will I cry?"

"No, it's perfectly clean."

"Thats a relief."

"But I bought it at a garage sale."

"Okay?"

"It works, but about half of the time, it catches on fire." 

Marinette stood up and unplugged Adrien's microwave. "Are you usually this much of a safety hazard?"

"I mean, I'm known for destroying everything I touch." Adrien shrugged. "So, yeah, kinda."

Marinette shook her head. "How have you not gotten fired?"

"Me?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, old Gabe is never going to fire me."

"You and Gabriel Agreste are on a first name basis?"

"More or less."

"Why is this your office?"

"I wanted my own space, but I needed to be placed as far away from everywhere else as possible."

"Why? I thought you helped in every department?"

"I do. I try to." Adrien scratched the back of his neck. "I just tend to break things."

"You confuse me, Adrien."

Adrien raised an eyebrow. "Are we on a first name basis?" 

"I mean, I thought so." Marinette shrugged. "Are we not?"

"No, no, we're partners now, that makes sense. Marinette."

"Great." Marinette frowned. "So, if we're partners, we're both in charge?"

"Yep. We are both responsible for the fate of this line."

And he was so destructive he had to be distanced from everyone else. "So, where's the rest of the team."

"Team?"

"For the project?"

"Its just the two of us."

"Okay." Marinette didn't falter. "Great. Perfect. So, between the two of use, we have to create an entire line in a month."

"Yep."

"Any specifics? Formal ware? Casual? Spring? Winter?"

"Formal." Adrien frowned. "I think this is for spring?"

He didn't even know what season it was supposed to be.

"How many outfits?"

"Eight. With accessories."

"Theme?"

"That's up to us."

"What ideas do you have so far?"

"Well," Adrien hesitated, "I have one idea, really."

That was something, at least. "Okay, we can use your idea as starting point, and go from there."

"I actually-" Adrien shuffled through papers in his desk, "have a sketch."

"I see." Marinette looked it over. Not bad. A little unorthodox, but she could work with it. In fact, she had an outfit that would perfectly match-

Adrien took the paper back from Marinette. "I know, it's a bad idea."

"No. It was really well done." Marinette shrugged. "I could tell you put a lot off effort into that."

"Its tacky. No one wants high fashion based off of superheroes."

"I'd wear it."

"As would I."

"And, for the record, I wasn't going to say anything negative."

"You weren't?"

"No. I hesitated, because I was going to show you my sketchbook. I have some designs, that if we tweak, could go really well with that."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahah I messed up, this wasn't supposed to be posted yet..my b.

They spent the next few hours comparing ideas. And creating new ones. Adrien's Ladybug suit was unconventional, but could pair really well with Marinette's Chat Noir ballgown. 

Both designs were elegant and classy, with just enough inspiration drawn from the heroes to be recognizable. 

They opted to remove the spots, sketching a red suit, with a spotted tie, inspired by Ladybug. Adrien wanted to remove the bell from the dress, and it was replaced with a golden neckline.

Really, they made each other's ideas better.

If Marinette hadn't been so confused by the whole situation, she would've been glad that Adrien was her partner. Other than the weird cheese thing, he balanced her out. Together, in one morning, they had designed two of eight outfits. 

Adrien was the most confusing person Marinette had met. Sometimes, he seemed like a dumbass, other times, he had great ideas, but there was no filter. 

Other than the coffee incident, there were no more accidents. And Adrien was more focused on work than flirting. It was a nice change of pace. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading so far!  
> Sidenote I know nothing about fashion, (I did learn how to embroider today so that's fun) and I'm going to remain vague about the whole process.

By lunch time, Adrien and Marinette had solid ideas for all eight outfits for their line. 

Solid ideas, meaning sketches, with color schemes and all that fun stuff.

There was the Chat Noir ballgown, the Ladybug suit, a Rena Rouge dress, a Carapace suit, a Hawkmoth suit, a Mayura dress, and finally a reversal of the first look, a Chat Noir Suit and a Ladybug ballgown. 

They were going to need a lot of fabric, sizes and seeing machines. 

Marinette could make an elaborate ballgown, but four gowns and four suits in four weeks seemed impossible. 

At least it was her and Adrien, but even with two people, it seemed like one of the labors of hercules. Unnecessarily difficult. 

Adrien and Marinette were intently focused, fine tuning details and editing the sketches. 

Even if Adrien had a reputation for destruction, he seemed to be pretty good at creating things too. 

Marinette still didn't understand him.

An alarm went off, and Marinette looked at her phone.

Adrien chuckled. "Sorry, that's mine." He pulled out his phone and turned it off. "Sometimes I forget to eat lunch, so I set a reminder every day." 

Then he went back to the sketches.

"Shouldn't we eat lunch?"

"I feel like we're making good progress, I don't want interrupt the creative flow."

Marinette shrugged. "Honestly, I think we've made good progress. It'll be good to take a breather. After lunch, we can look over everything again and finalize the designs tomorrow."

"That makes sense." Adrien nodded. "What did you bring for lunch?"

Marinette pulled out her lunchbag. "Bagel." 

"Is it- can I?" Adrien stuttered over his words. 

"What?"

"Can I buy you lunch? I feel like I owe you." 

Marinette chuckled. "You don't owe me anything."

"I definitely owe you a coffee." Adrien lowered his voice, "technically a hot chocolate."

"That was my fault. If anything, I owe you a shirt."

"You found me a new shirt. I never got you a new drink."

"You don't need to."

Adrien smiled. "I know this really great place-"

Oh.

It hit Marinette like a sack of bricks. (Side note: as Ladybug she had been hit by a sack of bricks before and did not recommend it). "Are you asking me out?"

"If you want me to?" Adrien's face turned red. "I mean, unless you don't, in which case, it's a friendly co-worker hang out."

She had to let him down gently.

Gently. 

Not like a sack of bricks.

"Adrien, you're really nice, but I can't date coworkers." She gave him a smile, "If you want to be friends, I'm open to that. I don't have any friends at this job."

"I'm cool with being friends." Adrien smiled, but it wasn't quite as big as before. "Believe it or not, I don't have a lot of friends at this job either."

"Really? I figured that since-"

He shook his head. "Everyone either uses me to get to Gabriel or is jealous of my good looks."

Marinette snorted. "You're certainly not humble about it."

"I've been a model since I was a child." He winked. "I know how I look."

"You aren't humble."

"I never said I was."

"Can I ask you something Marinette?"

"Sure?" She frowned. "If I can ask you something in return."

"If we weren't co-workers, or if that rule didn't exist, would you consider dating me?"

That... was not the question she had been expecting. "Chicken nuggets."

Adrien blinked, "What?"

"I thought you were going to ask about lunch. I panicked."

Adrien laughed. "Chicken nuggets."

"Sorry. I don't know?" Marinette looked at Adrien. "Maybe?"

"Maybe?"

"Well, you seem nice, but I'd have to get to know you better. I'm not sure if you're my type."

"What's your type?"

"Blonde, tall, gorgeous, dangerous, loyal." Marinette smiled, thinking of Chat Noir, "someone who has a sense of humor, even in dark situations. Someone who can always look on the bright side of things. Someone who I could trust with my life. Someone who is adventurous. Someone protective, who-"

Adrien smirked. "I don't know, that sounds a lot like me."

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Really?"

"I mean, it felt pretty specific." Adrien winked. "I'm onto you Marinette."

"What?" Did he know? Impossible. 

"You do like me, we just can't be together because if our jobs."

"Adrien, I've known you for one morning. Really, you are nice, but I don't know you that well yet."

"You could've gotten that information from magazines."

"You're in magazines?"

"Yeah." Adrien tilted his head. "Don't you know who I am?"

"You're Adrien. Gabriel Agreste's model protege? You have a reputation for being destructive."

"Protege?" Adrien snorted. "More like disappointment."

"I don't think you're disappointing."

"Well, you basically admitted to having a crush on me, so I know that."

Marinette rolled her eyes. "I did not. That wasnt even about you."

"Then who was it about?"

"Chat Noir."

Adrien froze. "What?"

"I have a crush on Chat Noir. Not like a big one or anything." Shut up Marinette you're madly in love. Quiet before you embarrass yourself more. "I just really admire him and his relationship with Ladybug."

"They're friends."

"I know." Marinette sighed. "But I think they could be something more."

"Maybe, they'd have time to consider it, if it weren't for the constant threat of akuma." Adrien shrugged. "Ladybug and Chat Noir only hang out in emergencies. Thats not a stable foundation for a relationship."

"I guess not." Marinette frowned. 

"But I will agree with you, Chat Noir looks hot in that suit."

"Adrien." Marinette's face was red. "You can't just say things like that."

"I mean I have eyes. That guy could be a model."

"Now you're just teasing me. Its a silly crush."

"I never said it was silly." Adrien smiled. "I think it's cute."

"You think it's cute?"

"Yeah. The superheroes are awesome."

"Yeah." Marinette smiled. "They really are."

Adrien looked at his phone. "So, do you want to get lunch with me? As friends?"

Marinette looked at her bagel. It was dry, probably a little stale, and lacking excitement. But it was reliable. Then she looked at Adrien.

Become friends with him would be fun, but dangerous. She didn't know what kind of model-party lifestyle he lived. Becoming his friend could be a risk. She easily could see herself falling for someone like Adrien. Maybe there was a reason that no one liked him.

She shoved the bagel back in her bag.

"Yeah, lets get lunch."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look I didn't intend to write adrichat and yet here we are.


	10. Chapter 10

As Adrien drove to the "great place" for lunch, Marinette felt a strong sense of familiarity.

"Hey, don't feel like you had to come with me." Adrien pulled to the side of the road. "If you're uncomfortable, I can drive you right back to work."

"No, I'm not uncomfortable." Marinette frowned. "I'm just confused."

"Confused?"

"How do you know where I lived?"

"What?"

She pointed across the street. "Dupain-Cheng Bakery?"

"Yeah, it's been highly recommended. I've croissants from there a few times, and let me tell you, they are flawless." Adrien smacked his lips. "Best bakers in the world. I've never tasted anything _batter."_

She rolled her eyes at the pun. "That was weak, even for you."

"I dare you to make a _breader_ pun."

Marinette smirked. "All you _knead_ is love, flour, water, yeast, eggs and sugar. I'm wanted _bread_ or _arise."_

The terrible puns got a laugh out of Adrien. Not a chuckle, but a genuine, solid laugh. "I thought you didn't like puns?"

"I can appreciate good puns." Marinette clarified. 

"But you didn't even hesitate. How did you come up with those on the spot?"

"I grew up in a bakery. I've heard every baking pun there is."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "There's _muffin_ I haven't heard before."

"That was a good one." Adrien smiled. "I hadn't even thought of that one."

"Trust me, I've heard them all." Marinette shrugged. "So, you really like this place.... do you come here often?"

"Not really." Adrien scratched the back if his neck. "I don't know if I've ever been in person. Mostly, my friend Nino has shared pastries with me. I guess he knows the owners?"

"Ah. I see." 

"What?"

"Alya and Nino put you up to this."

"You know Alya and Nino?" 

"Yeah, Alya's been my best friend since middle school, and I was in the same class as Nino for years. How do you know them?"

"Nino's like my best friend. I met him at a party, when he was dj-ing and it was bros at first sight."

"Bros at first sight?" Marinette laughed. "Is that a thing?"

"It is now."

She shook her head. "I should've known Nino put you up to this. They've been trying to get me to go on a blind date with you, like, forever."

"You're Alya's cute designer friend?" 

"Apparently." Marinette shook her head. "I can't believe you're that Adrien. I feel like I've heard so much about you."

"Same. Its nice to meet you, really."

"Yeah. This is nice." Marinette smirked.

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking... we could play a prank on Alya and Nino." 

"I do like pranks..." Adrien shook his head. "Shouldnt we get lunch right now?"

"Yeah, we should. We can plan later."

They got out of the car, and crossed the street to go to the bakery. 

"Hey."

"What?"

"If Alya and Nino know the owners, do you?"

"Why, are you looking for a discount?"

"No, I just know their daughter probably went to school with you?"

Marinette shook her head and opened the door with a deadpan expression. "No, Adrien. I don't know the owners."

"Oh, sorry, I just kinda assumed-"

Marinette shook her head, and pointed at herself. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Adrien pointed at himself. "Adrien Agreste?"

"My parents are the owners." Marinette laughed. "Wait did you just say your last name was Agreste? As in Gabriel Agreste?"

"Did you not know?"


	11. Chapter 11

Whatever Marinette had been about to say was cut off as her mom welcomed them into the bakery. 

"Welcome-" Sabine did a double take. "Marinette? We weren't expecting you until Friday."

"Hello Maman." Marinette gestured towards Adrien. "Adrien here told me that we had to visit the best bakery in Paris for lunch. I didn't realize I was coming here until we pulled up."

"Best bakery in Paris, eh?" Sabine nodded. "I like him."

"Mom...."

Adrien smiled. "You guys make some of the best croissants I've had in my life." 

"Oh, he's a flatterer. Keep him." Sabine whispered to Marinette.

Marinette's face was red. "Mom-"

"If you like our croissants, you should try an eclair. Or macarons. Those are Marinette's favorites. I swear, she eats like a dozen a day-"

"Mom!" 

"Well, if they're so highly recommended, maybe I should try a couple."

"Of course. " Sabine started pulling items out of the display case. "Speaking of couples, how long have you two known each other? I don't believe we've been introduced."

"I just met Marinette this morning, Ma'am." 

Sabine started to say something and Marinette sighed. 

"Mom, Adrien and I are just friends. We're co-workers." 

"Really?"

"Well, are aren't just co-workers. Marinette and me are going to be creating a line together."

"A fashion line? That's wonderful!"

"Marinette is very talented."

"Well, any friend of Marinette's is welcome here." Sabine declared, handing Adrien a bag of pastries. 

"Oh, thank you." He fumbled for his wallet, setting the pastries back on the counter.

"Its on the house." 

"I can pay-"

"No, I insist."

"Thanks mom." Marinette grabbed the pastries and immediately dragged Adrien to the table furthest from the counter, where Sabine was not-so-subtly watching them. "Sorry about that."

"No problem." Adrien looked down. "Is your mom always like that?"

"What? Nosey? Trying to influence my love-life? Yes."

"I was going to say involved."

"Yeah. She's great, but sometimes it's a bit much." Marinette raised her voice a little bit. "I know you're watching us, Mom."

Sabine shrugged and replied, "Don't mind me, I'm just planning wedding."

Marinette facepalmed.

Adrien laughed. "Your mom seems really nice."

"She is. She and my dad have always supported me, even when I didn't want to be a baker."

"Really? Did you have a sibling who agreed to take over the family buisness?"

"Nope, I'm an only child."

Adrien shook his head, "And they aren't worried about the fate of the company?"

"Its a bakery, not exactly a fashion empire." Marinette shrugged. "And whatever happens will happen. They want me to be happy."

"That must be nice."

"Yeah, it is." Marinette scrambled to keep the conversation going, "what are your parents like?"

"I wish I could tell you."

"What?"

"My father has always been busy with the company. He never had much time for family."

"I can't believe you're Gabriel Agreste's son. I feel like I should've known."

"Yeah, same. Not to sound egotistical or anything, but I'm pretty well known."

"You can't be that well known, I didn't know you?"

"Fair enough."

"So, your dad was always busy, and your mom?"

"She- died, I think, when I was 12. One day she was there, the next gone." He smiled a little to himself, "I've always liked to imagine that she faked her death and ran away to start a new life, but she would have taken me with her."

"On, Adrien, I'm so sorry-"

"Dont be. Its not your fault. And it happened a long time ago." He scratched his head. "Where were we? Family? I was practically raised by Nathalie-"

"The scary lady who gave me a tour-"

"She's my father's assistant. She taught me everything I know."

"That sounds lonely."

"I was pretty lonely as a kid," Adrien admitted, "but after my Mom died, I made a new friend and she made me feel like I was never alone."

"Oh?" Marinette raised an eyebrow, "She?" 

"Oh, no," Adrien quickly shook his head, "we weren't like that."

"But you're such a flirt, you had to get it from somewhere."

"Anime." Adrien blushed. "I had really bad social skills as a teenager.

"I can imagine."

Marinette wondered if Chat Noir got his social skills from anime too. She banished that thought from her mind.

Bad Marinette. This was a friendly hang out with Adrien, not fantasize about your hot, leather-wearing, partner time. (That is 24/7 who is she trying to fool)

Adrien laughed. "I didn't realize I made such a bad first impression."

"No, no, that sounded rude." Marinette shook her head. "You were very polite. It was a good first impression."

"I made you spill your hot chocolate and then flirted with you while shirtless." Adrien's face was red. "I'd say that's a pretty bad first impression."

Marinette shrugged. "I've had worse."

"You have?"

"Yeah, but he's my best friend now, so it's not a big deal."

"I thought Alya was your best friend?"

"She is. He's my best guy friend."

"Nino?"

"No, just someone I know."

"At least you didn't bump into me and make a pun about me 'falling for you'" Marinette rolled her eyes. "Thats just obnoxious."

Adrien giggled.

"Whats so funny?"

He shook his head. "It's-"

"What?"

Adrien took a breath. "Marinette, that is exactly what you did to me."

"No, I-" her eyes widened. "Oh."

"Now, you see why its so funny."

Marinette was mortified. 

She had left a terrible first impression on Adrien. It was a miracle that they were able to build a rapport so quickly.

Luckily, so far they seemed to work well together.

Marinette didn't know how she was supposed to get through this project with someone who had a reputation for chaos and destruction, but she would have to figure it out.

Adrien opened the bag of pastries. "There's so many options. Where do I start?"

"You want to try my favorite or the one I eat the most?"

"Favorite."

"Passionfruit macarons." Marinette pulled one out of the bag and popped it into her mouth. "I could eat 100 of these and never get sick of them."

"Passionfruit?" Adrien picked one up and examined it. "Is that a common flavor?"

"Not particularly. I haven't seen any other bakeries in Paris use passionfruit macarons. Why?"

"My friend... the one I mentioned earlier. She really likes passionfruit macarons."

"Well, clearly she has taste."

"Yeah. She used to make a batch every week and we'd share them-"

Marinette was once again vividly reminded of her crush on Chat Noir. Back when they did weekly patrols, she baked a batch of passionfruit macaroons every week. She'd set aside a dozen or so for Tikki, and the rest were split between herself and Chat Noir.

She devoured them, but he savored each one, like he thought it might be his last.

Just like Adrien was doing now.

With a weird look on his face. He was staring right at her.

He dropped his macaron after one bite.

"Are you okay?" Marinette gasped. "I didn't even ask if you were allergic to anything. Are you having trouble breathing?"

Adrien chewed slowly and swallowed. "I'm fine."

"You dropped your cookie."

"Did I?" Adrien looked down. "I guess that's just the way the cookie _crumb_ les."

Marinette rolled her eyes. "When I way I've heard them all, I mean, I've heard them all. Seriously though, are you okay? You looked a little spooked."

"I'm fine. I just spaced out for a second and got startled."

"You had a weird look on your face."

"Yeah. The macarons tasted familiar. I wasn't expecting it."

"Oh, has Nino brought you some?"

"No, I-" Adrien frowned. "Are you sure you don't have a sister?"

What a weird topic of conversation. 

"I think I'd know. Why?"

"No reason."

It definitely sounded like there was a reason. They hadn't met before, had they?

Well, she had to ask the question back. That's how conversations went. 

"Do you have a brother?"

"No, but I have a twin, and we look identical."

"Thats cool."

"Yeah." Adrien took a bite out of a new macaron. "Where did your mom get this recipe?"

"Oh, it's a family recipe."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I created it myself when I was 12 or so. I wanted a different fruity macaron and-"

"You created these?"

"Yeah." Marinette repeated. "Thats what I said. Thats probably why they're my favorite. Of all my baking experiments, they were the most successful."

"Did you experiment a lot?"

"You have no idea." Marinette shook her head. "I made so many mediocre loaves of banana bread."

"I'm sure they were delicious."

"I wouldn't be so sure." 

"Well," Adrien smiled, "these macarons are _purr_ fectly delicious."

Marinette had to be imagining that. No way Adrien Agreste made a cat pun. "Yeah, they are, pretty much perfect."

He looked at her, but didn't say anything for a moment.

She had no idea what he was thinking. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who forgot for two days but she's back.

After lunch, they went back to the office, to finalize designs. 

They had a month to create an entire line. Time moves fast. 

Marinette wanted to get to know Adrien better. He was Nino's best friend. They were practically friends by association. But she didn't know anything about him.

Adrien was acting weird. As they re-drew the designs, (with cleaner, less sketchy lines), he kept staring at her. Marinette would glance up for a second, and he was there, staring into her eyes.

He also just stared at his Ladybug suit design for a solid five minutes. 

She couldn't just keep quiet anymore. "Are you okay Adrien?"

"What?" He blinked, and shook his head. "Yeah, I'm fine, just a little spacey."

"What are you thinking about?"

"Ladybug-" Adrien fiddled with his ring. He pulled it off, and put it back on repeatedly. 

Marinette stammered. "Oh that totally makes sense, because of the design. Haha." She quickly looked back at her desk, changing the subject. 

Adrien was not ready to switch topics. "What do you think of the superheroes?"

Marinette had a neutral, positive response at the ready, memorized in case the question came up. She didn't want to accidentally give away any clues to her identity. "I think the heroes are very helpful, and I am thankful that they are here to fight akuma."

"Okay.." Adrien nodded, like he expected that. "And what do you think of Chat Noir?"

"He's a flirt." Marinette frowned. "Why do you want to know?"

"You're designing a dress based off of him, and all you think is that he's a flirt?" Adrien raised an eyebrow. "There's got to he more."

"Well, I mean, he's really inspiring. And loyal to Ladybug. I really admire him."

"Sounds like you liike him." Adrien teased. 

"Yeah, I think we established that." Marinette's face was red. "Let's talk about something else."

"Okay." Adrien crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair. "What do you think of Ladybug?"

"Ladybug is cool. Have you heard of the Ladyblog? My friend Alya runs is."

"Marinette, I know Alya. I check the Ladyblog every say. Why are you avoiding the question."

"I wasn't avoiding the question. I said Ladybug was cool."

"But you had all of those descriptions for Chat. Ladybug's just cool?"

"Yeah. I don't know?" 

"You don't know?"

"I guess I just know more about Chat Noir."

"I think you know more about Ladybug." Adrien winked. 

Winked.

Marinette's heart was racing. She took a deep breath and relaxed her face. She had to look cool and collected. "I have no idea what you mean."

"I don't know." Adrien shrugged. "Seems like you might be hiding something."

"What are you insinuating?"

"I'm insinuating, that maybe-"

Adrien was cut off by a high pitched beeping noise.

"Fire?" Marinette frowned, glancing at her bag. 

"Akuma." 

They both got out of their seats.

Adrien pointed down the hallway. "I'll make sure everyone gets out safely. Go to the basement for shelter."

"I have to go to the bathroom." Marinette sprinted in the opposite direction from where Adrien had pointed. 

She had to transform, and fast. Chat Noir could already be on the scene.

She didn't need to get fired for disappearing during akuma attacks. 

It was only once Marinette went in a bathroom stall and shouted, "Tikki, Spots On!" That she realized she was an idiot.

She had been keeping her earrings in her purse, with Tikki, so that they couldn't be easily snatched off her head while she was walking along the street. 

She always kept her purse on her person.

Always. 

Except she had left her purse in Adrien's office.

And she couldn't risk going back there.

Shit.

At least Marinette was only down the hall. Tikki should be able to find her pretty easily. 

Hopefully. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man Adrien is not subtle at all


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man I have not been consistently updating my b. I've had a lot of homework, and not a lot of time.   
> And this next week, I will be traveling, so I probably won't update (at least Friday-Sunday) I should be able to post Tuesday-Thursday if I don't have too much hw.
> 
> Right now however, I have cramps and cant sleep, so I'm writing while curled up in a ball on my bed. Not ideal.

It wasn't Tikki that came into the women's restroom. 

Plagg floated frantically, carrying his ring. "Hey Ladybug, I'm gomna need your help here."

"Plagg?" Marinette looked around. "Where's Tikki? Where's Chat Noir?"

"There were some complications, and he took off his ring-"

"I can't believe-"

"To he fair, you did the same thing with your earrings."

"Well, yeah. I-" Marinette tried not to think about the implications of it. Chat Noir was somewhere close. Like really close. Within the same building, most likely. 

Last time they swapped miraculous, she had been outside, and perhaps he had too. They had both been somewhere in Paris, a relatively large metropolitan area. This time didn't make sense. This time, he was very close.

She probably knew him personally.

"Tikki found Chat Noir before you and they transformed."

"Like reflekdoll?"

"Like reflekdoll." He comfirmed, "but its a unique situation because-"

"I can't believe Chat Noir lost you."

"He didn't exactly lose me."

"At least I knew where Tikki was."

"You can complain to him later." Plagg threw the ring at her. "For now, just say the magic words and go fight the dude."

"Thanks."

"You're the hero, not me."

"Plagg, Claws Out!"

As the magic washed over Marinette, she shivered. 

She would never be used to the feeling of the cat miraculous. 

Where the Ladybug transformation was warm and friendly, the Cat transformation sent chills down her spine. 

It was the same, but opposite. 

Once Marinette transformed, she stretched her arms and legs, before jumping out the window. 

She attempted to use her baton like a yo-yo and splattered on the pavement below. 

But she was a hero. She bounced back, and after using her baton as intended, was able to leap onto the rooftops, where her partner was already waiting for her.

"What's the sitch?"

"Honestly, I got here maybe thirty seconds before you did, bug." Mr. Bug shrugged. "The yo-yo requires a bit of a learning curve."

If he had arrived at the same time, it meant he had traveled just as fat as she bad. Which meant he was close- 

"So, no plan?"

"Not yet."

"You wanna talk about learning curve? I forgot that I didn't have my yo-yo, and hit the ground."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Lady Noire twisted her arm. "I messed up my shoulder a bit, but nothing major. It'll heal when you throw the miraculous cure."

"That's a relief. I saw the fall, and it looked rough."

He saw the fall. He had been in the same area. Not that that was a bad thing. Chat Noir was the first person that she wanted to know her identity. 

He was the first person she wanted to tell all of her secrets.

"You did?" 

"I-" 

There was a distant crash. 

Chat Noir- Mr. Bug - ran his fingers through his hair. "Look, as much as I'd like to explain, we have more pressing matters to attend to."

"We should go fight."

"Yes. But can you stick around for a few minutes after the akuma?"

"I.. I have a job." Lady Noire frowned, "I really don't want to miss work."

"We need to talk. About identity stuff." Mr. Bug gestured to his earrings.

"I agree." If she could get her earrings back, that would be great. They could talk and switch back miraculous.

"You do? Great. I wasn't sure if you had been picking up what I was dropping, but good to know we are on the same page." Mr. Bug smiled. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a great actress?"

Same page about what? Marinette had no idea what he was talking about.

Like any time that she was complemented by her partner, Marinette's heart turned all mushy. "You're an amazing actor too." She parroted the words back at him, not processing what he said.

"Thanks?" He seemed confused, so maybe the complement hadn't applied back to him.

Shoot. When she got nervous around her crush, she forgot everything she knew about social cues.

(They met when she accidentally tied them up together with her yo-yo. If that's not an embarrassing start to a relationship, nothing is)

She shook her head, refocusing. "We shouldn't be switching kwami so often. We could learn secrets that we aren't supposed to know."

"So you can talk after this?"

"Maybe?" She hesitated. "My New boss is pretty lenient and friendly, but I don't know how he would react if I disappeared after an akuma attack. He seemed pretty worried when I ran towards the bathroom."

"Did he see you transform?" Mr. Bug raised an eyebrow.

Was he teasing her? No. It was probably a trick of the light.

"No. I hope not." Lady Noire shook her head. "I just have a reputation for being late, and I don't want that to be the first impression of me."

"It'll be fine. If you need me to, I can tell them you got caught up in the attack."

"But you don't know who I am." She narrowed her eyes at him. 

Was her partner hiding something from her? Did he know who she was?

"Right-"

She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. "I can stay for ten minutes after. But that's it."

"Deal."

They shook on it, then went to do what they did best.

Kick some akuma butt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man. This pretty much confirmed what Adrien already knew.


	14. Chapter 14

The battle went well, all things considered. Lady Noire used her baton, and Mr. Bug was able to swing with the yo-yo, magically saving the day. 

Immediately after the battle, they met up at the top of the tower, to talk. 

Lady Noire's ring beeped.

They had five minutes.

"What did you want to talk about?" 

Mr. Bug sighed. "Well, I think you know."

"I do?"

"I'm pretty sure. I mean, it's obvious."

"What's obvious?"

Mr. Bug blinked. "Is it not? Have I been reading signs wrong?"

Lady Noire froze. "What signs?"

"You know, the ones I've been sending?"

"You want to date?"

"No- well yes. Maybe?" He shook his head. "Now I'm confused."

"Why are you confused? You're the one who started this conversation."

"I-" Mr. Bug sighed. "Why is this so much harder than I thought it would be?"

"It's okay."

"But-"

"Whatever it is, I'll support you."

"Okay.." Mr. Bug took a deep breath, "Let's say, hypothetically-"

"Oh, here we go." She mumbled.

"Hypothetically, someone knows your identity."

Lady Noire froze. "Chat, what did you do?"

"I'm not Chat, I'm Mr. Bug."

"What did you do?" She repeated. 

"You don't know?"

"No. I have no idea."

He swore under his breath.."I think I might've revealed my identity to the wrong co-worker."

"You revealed your identity??" Lady Noire's voice went up an octave.

"Not explicitly, but I dropped some hints."

"Chat!"

"I really thought she was you."

"Who is she, anyway"

"Shes-" 

Lady Noire's ring beeped again. Thirty seconds. "Shit. I have to go."

"Ladybug-"

"This conversation isnt over. Same place, tonight?"

"I'll see you then."

As she leapt away, she missed the way that her partner drooped. He stared at the ground wondering how he possibly could have been wrong, and what it all meant. 

He knew Ladybug was close...

But he couldn't believe he was wrong.

Marinette, on the other hand, detransformed in an alley way, and was stranded, three miles away from work, with nothing but heels and a kwami who both begged for and smelt strongly of cheese. 

And she had no idea how to get him back to his rightful owner.

It was not exactly the ideal situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ao3 is being wonky and won't let me sign in on my computer so this was entirely written and posted on my phone.


	15. Chapter 15

Marinette started walking towards work, after checking the street signs to figure our exactly where she was.

Plagg was no help at all, claiming that he needed cheese to even function. He just laid down on her shoulder and complained. Luckily, Marinette knew where she could get some cheese.

Surely Adrien wouldn't mind if she borrowed just a little bit from his fridge. 

As Marinette walked, she tried to come up with an excuse to explain this one.

She felt like all eyes were on her, watching her march straight towards failure. She was likely going to be fired on her first day, for events outside of her control.

She couldn't justify this absence without revealing her identity as Ladybug.

It wouldn't make sense for her to have gotten caught in the attack, it was halfway across town. It wasn't a teleporting akuma or one that summoned people, it just made everyone in a mile radius sob uncontrollably.

Luckily, Lady Noire and Mister Bug were experts at functioning through tears.

Maybe Marinette could summon a few of those tears and keep her job. Adrien seemed nice enough, and they worked well together. Hopefully he would be willing to give her another chance.

She walked, trying to shake the feeling that she was being followed.

She wasn't, obviously, it was just paranoia, but Marinette could almost feel eyes digging in the back of her head.

Finally, she had enough, and whirled around.

Much to her surprise, she made eye-contact with Mister Bug, who responded by very smoothly falling off a building, onto the sidewalk next to her.

She didn't have time to do more than step to the side and stare as he hit the ground. 

Marinette stood staring, frozen, as he bounced back up and held out a hand. "Hello, purrincess."

Slowly she shook it. "Marinette. Was that a cat pun?"

"I've gotta stay on brand, even when I'm not in costume."

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes. "Did it hurt?"

He smirked. "When I fell from heaven?"

"No, when you fell off that building? I was watching and I'm kinda concerned."

"I'm good." He pointed at his spots. "Superhero suit, remember?"

"Right. That's good right?" 

"Don't worry about me. What are you doing all the way out here?"

Marinette was worried that he had figured out her identity. Luckily Plagg was no longer on her shoulders, which meant he had hidden somewhere. 

Unfortunately, Marinette did not have any pockets, which meant that Plagg was hiding either in her hair, or he had phased through her (which really felt like an invasion of personal space). 

"I... got caught in the akuma attack?" It was a weak excuse. Even for her. Mr. Bug had fought in the attack, he would've seen her.

"Well, do you want a ride back?"

"Really?"

"Yeah. Those shoes look awful to walk in, and I'm headed the same ways."

"That would be amazing actually."

"Great!" Mr. Bug scooped her up, bridal style and carried her back to the Agreste buildings.

"Thank you, you're a lifesaver."

"Anytime, Marinette."

She kissed him on the cheek. "Seriously, you have no idea how much I-"

"My pleasure." He was blushing. "Its not every day that I get to-"

There was a harsh beeping from his earrings.

"-unfurrtunately, I have to bid you farewell, but alas, I hope that we can someday meet again, fair princess."

Why didn't he ever talk to Ladybug like that? He was practically declaring his love for her.

Marinette erased the ridiculous thought from her mind. She was Ladybug, for crying out loud.

She was not going to get jealous of herself.

"What a flirt." Marinette laughed. "Talk to you later kitty." 

As Marinette walked in the building, towards her "office" she passed by the front desk. 

Jeanne was staring, jaw-dropped as Marinette walked in. "Did I just see you kiss Mr. Bug?"

"No?"

"You've got to tell me what happened."

"I have to get to work."

"I can keep a secret, you know. I totally-"

"Shhh." Marinette hissed. (Cat instincts. Weird). "He was just bringing me back, after he saved me from the akuma. Its not much of a story."

"What a gentleman." Jeanne sighed. "I'd love to be saved by him some day."

Adrien Agreste chose that exact moment to walk through the doors. "What are we talking about, Ladies?"

"Mr. Bug." Marinette explained. "He brought me back, after I got caught in the attack."

"The love of my life." Jeanne mumbled.

Marinette raised an eyebrow. "You don't even know him."

"Wow, looks like you've got some competition." Adrien looked between the two of them. 

"Hey, I thought you were inside?" Marinette asked Adrien. "What happened?"

"I got caught up in the akuma attack." 

She narrowed her eyes. "Weird. I didn't see you around."

"Maybe that was because you were too busy getting carrier by Mr. Bug."

"Shut up." Marinette blushed.

"Do you have a crush-"

"Adrien."

"No, seriously, do you have a crush on Mr. Bug?"

"He is Chat Noir, so yes."

Jeanne giggled. "You two are so cute."

"Us?" Marinette blinked. "What?"

"Yeah."

"We're coworkers. I mean, Adrien is nice-"

"And Marinette is beautiful-" he interjected.

"-And I could totally see myself dating him-" Marinette added for context,

"-and I can't stop thinking about her eyes-"

"-his green eyes are mesmerising-"

"-I've never felt more in love-"

"-I've never felt more in sync with someone I just met-"

"-and I think we're soulmates-" Adrien sighed

"-but, we can't date as co-workers." Marinette finished. "It would just be too complicated."

"Yeah." Adrien agreed. "Complicated."

Jeanne shook her head. "I don't know how you two could say all those things and not immediately go make out in a closet, and start secretly dating, but for the record, I think you would make a great couple."

"Thanks, but I'd like to keep my job. Speaking of which, we should probably get back to work."

"Great idea, Marinette." Adrien followed her down the hallway, "or we could try making out in a closet, like Jeanne suggested?"

Marinette laughed. "We don't have enough time to make-out. We barely have enough time to do this line as it is."

"So, would you consider dating me after we finish this line?"

Marinette paused. She thought about her partner, who we've seemed interested. Then she thought about Adrien. Adrien was charming and sweet and funny. She had only known him for a day and she bad never felt so connected. 

She knew what her answer was, even though her gut told her to lie. "I think we should just be friends for now, but yeah, once we finish this line, I'd be willing to give us a shot."

"You would?" Adrien smiled.

Marinette was not going to melt from how sweet his smile was. Absolutely not. "Yeah. I think I would."

"So, what exactly do you think of Mr. Bug?"

Marinette's face went red. "I thought we were going to focus on the line."

When they leaked back info the office, her purse was sitting on her desk. In it, her phone, and much to her relief, Tikki.

The earrings were missing though. 

She had a sudden thought, provoked by light reflecting off of Adrien's earlobes. "Adrien, have you always worn earrings?"

Adrien brought his hands to his ears. "My father is going to kill me."

"Did.. did you not know you were wearing earrings?"

"I forgot. They're not exactly professional." He began to unclip the backing of his earrings. Adrien tilted his head. "Speaking of which, do you ever wear earrings?"

"My ears are pierced." Marinette shrugged. "I used to wear earrings every day, but not as much anymore." Tikki was able to keep the magic near her, without it being on her person all the time, not that Marinette was going to explain Tikki to Adrien.

"Oh. Cool." Adrien's face fell a bit.

Apparently that wasn't the answer he had been looking for.

"But I think earrings would be a great accessory to add to the Ladybug suit."

And like that they were back on track.

Ready to make a superhero themed fashion line.

And Marinette's identity was definitely not in danger. 

Not one bit.

Adrien Agreste, and Mr. Bug were completely oblivious, right? Right?

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to the [ miraculous fanworks ](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) discord server for inspiring me to join nanowrimo and for the conversation about how there should be more Adrinoire and Misternette. 
> 
> Let me know what you think!


End file.
